Process for shipping flexible polyurethane foam



June. 1 5, 1965' s. GOLDFEIN 3,189,659

PROCESS FOR SHIPPING FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE FOAM Filed Nov. 1. 1962 'FOAM TO BE COMPRE S SE D MRELEASE xaifim ruw s FOAM WITH ADHESIVE LAYER EVAPORATION OF SOLVENT FOAM WITH DRIED ADHESIVE COMPRESSION WITH OR WITHOUT HEAT DRIED COMPRESSED TRAN SPAR EN T FOAM IMPREGNATION WITH SOLVENT FOR ADHESIVE RE- EXPAND ED FOAM IMPREGNATED WITH SOLVENT V COMPRESSED FOAM fig FREED 0F SOLVENT I INVENTOR JoZomo/z Go/dfez'n Umted States Patent 0 "cc 89569 Patented June 15, 1985 Adhesive: I Solvent 3,189,669 Polyvinyl chloride-acetate co- Acetone, or methyl PROCggSL 012 SEEPPH EGFSLEXIBLE polymer. ethyl ketone.

UREEHAT AM Pol st rene 1 Solomon Goldfein, Faiis Church, Va., assignor to the 5 y y 2 :135

United States of America as represented by the Secret tary of the Army Filed Nev. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 234,894 Acrylomtnle butadlene sty- Acetone, or methyl 1 Cl i (CL 254 134 rene. ethyl ketone.

(Granted under Title 35, U.S. Code (1952 see. 266) Polymethyl methacrylate Chlormated ethers,

l0 chlorinated esters,

The invention described herein may be manufactured acetone, or methyl and used by or for the Government for governmental ethyl ketone. purposes without the payment to me of any royalty Dimethyl hydantoin formal- Water. thereon. dehyde.

This invention relates to the shipping of flexible polY- Polyvinyl alcohol Water. $23 22: i32 ;1 22 2 i igg ig g g gggi if fi fgg The adhesive dimethyl hydantoin formaldehyde when has been foamed to 5 porous g gg g f Sub mixed with 1ts solvent 1n the cells of polyurethane foam stance which has a cellular structure. When this flexible igg g 823 fig iig g re expanded can be made assassins;entertain51:55:: e e problem involved in the volume of this foam The foam a plaistlc sucfh as z g of pgyvmyl g a so vent 0 met y e y etone. vaporation o e :2 If This invention concerns the reduction of the r: uiretl 25 foa-m to its fiexlble state 18 de-SHZed it can be ac-comphshed spa e for transportin flexible ol rethane fo"m b cornby lmmersl-ng the samp 18 agam m a 20% Solutlon of P 01ypressin it and incregasin zg y AS 2 rithane vinyl chloride in a solvent of methyl ethyl ketone and the foam is cellular it can be compressed in its flexib le form Polyurethane foambeco-mes flexlble-u-ntfl the solvent is without damage to its cells One of the problems in i g yherebifl It f f l Stung/(her;

e Ilgl orm 0 p0 yure ane team, a 1 rous materia gz gf gf gg g ig i ifiz gfig ggs is; 52 :35 5; of either natural or synthetic fibers or a combination of both, can be applied to the solvent before the foam g z ggggs fi zfig g g fg g i zq becomes hardened and the fibrous material will become constant m'echanica1 Zessure 2 i 23 222 laminated on the surface of the foam strengthening it and d in t P also providing a surface that is more reslstant to wearing a g g gj of this invention is to Provide a or abrasive action. It is'very advantageous to be able to method 11 mm mm a as?" $2: imitatin a; attains; sgg then re'expandmg It when It reaches Its around an object as a packing and then made rigid, and

Another object of this invention is to provide a method 40 gg gg ggg figs ggfi wlthout cuttmg the foam for re-expanding the previously compressed flexible polyurethane foam into either a flexible or rigid state. An alternate In"lame-cl of maklpg the fieXl-ble foam rig-1c1 still another object of this invsnfion is to Provide a 1n the field comprises impregnating the flexible foam with method for laminating a fibrous material on the surface a catalyzed Pohfester or epoxy resm and anowmg the of the re-expanded polyurethane foam to strengthen it. v i f gigj mammal to harden Flexible ol rethane foam has a lar e centage of its volume flake up by air cells Within the f hm. Upon A mflhod of compresguig and re expandmg flexlble compressing this flexible foam and releasing it, the foam polyureglllane 1 g i springs back to its original form. Means to maintain the (a) db gregnaluzg 5. a 9 W1 flexible foam in its compressed shape'for shipment and g deslve 2 0 t y i fi yet re-expand it to its original shape would save a great y 6 con ammg I er i a so v n Sal a amount of the shipping costs and s0lvent rende r1ng sald polyurethane transparent,

The present invention comprises the Steps of impregnab (b) Evaporatmg said solvent from sald adhesive solution' mg flexible polyurethane foam with an adhesive solution removing the solvent by evaporation with heat, compress- (c) ia foam i zg Its ongma ing the foam to a fraction of its original volume, and rega i g} g g if remammg m S. compresse moving the same from the press. When the foam is removed from the press it is held in its compressed state g iz'gggfig g p giz fig $3 223? it by the adhesive, and the foam can -be shipped to its desti- Vent for said e; and nation in this compressed state. When it is desired to (e) S ueezin out the excess Solvent, re-expand the foam, it is immersed in a solvent for the q g adhesive which allows the sample to expand to its original References Cited by the Examiner volume. After the sample is removed from the solvent the excess solvent is squeezed out. UNITED STATES PATENTS The drawing is a flow sheet outlining the succession of 2,659,935 11/53 Hammon 264321 steps employed in practicing the invention. 2,666,954 1/54 Potter 264-321 XR Any of a number of adhesives and their corresponding 3,000,464 9/61 Watters 26441 XR solvents can be used. The following are samples of a few of such adhesives and their solvents:

ALEXANDER H. BRODMERKEL, Primary Examiner. 

